Together Forever
by sarale
Summary: Set in California. Lucy and Aria are identical twins. Aria suffers through a tragedy but ultimately this will bring her into the arms of Ian Harding.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy followed Aria into her two-story home, lugging the car seat with baby Nathan inside. Aria stopped right inside the doorway, shrugged off her jacket and slid out of her black heels. She turned to Lucy and peered inside the car seat.

"He's sleeping." Lucy reassured her.

"Thank God." Aria sighed. "Do you mind putting him up in his crib?"

"Sure."

Lucy gently lifted her sleeping nephew out of his car seat and carried him up the stairs. Aria curled up on her sofa, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She shuddered, trying to erase the day's events from her memory. There was a short knock on the front door followed by her mother's voice.

"Lucy? Aria?"

Aria jumped. She watched as her mother and Chris came in lugging the left-overs from the funeral.

"Where should I put these?" Chris asked holding up the trays of food.

"Ugh, Mom! I told you I didn't want them!"

"Honey, you'll be thanking me tomorrow. I doubt you'll be up to making yourself food and you need to eat." Julie first replied to her daughter, giving her a stern look. Aria slumped back down on the sofa.

Julie turned to Chris. "Just put those trays down on one of the counters. I'll put it away."

Chris gave Aria a sympathetic look before going into the kitchen. Lucy descended the stairs and came into the living room the same time as Chris who was returning from the kitchen.

"Chris," she said with happy surprise.

Chris wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist and pecked her on her forehead. Aria turned away at the display of affection but not before Lucy caught the pained expression in her eyes. She removed Chris's hand from her waist and murmured.

"Not here, not now."

"Of course," he murmured back. "I should be going," he said aloud. "I'll see you tomorrow, Luce?"

"Yes, Sweetie."

Chris walked over to Aria and clapped a hand onto her shoulder. She looked up, her tear-filled hazel eyes meeting his green ones. "My deepest condolence. Jake was a great guy. I'm going to miss him."

"Thank you," Aria whispered in a choked voice.

Chris waved to Lucy and left. Julie came out of the kitchen and turned to Aria.

"Honey, I'm going home, alright? If you need anything give me a call. Okay?" She wrapped her arms around Aria's slender shoulders, hugging her daughter close to her chest. Aria had wanted to be alone but her mother refused, afraid of what she might do to herself. They compromised, agreeing that Lucy would stay. "Call me, okay?"

"Okay?" came Aria's muffled reply.

Julie let go and wiped her eyes. "I love you, Aria."

"I love you too Mom."

"You'll be alright?" her reluctance to leave was obvious.

"No," Aria replied truthfully.

Julie, who had been in middle of putting on her jacket, stopped. Lucy stepped forward.

"I'm staying here tonight, Mom. I'll take care of her."

Julie stood uncertain. She shouldn't leave her daughter in such a fragile state.

"We'll call. You should get some sleep, Mom."

Julie sighed. "Okay." Lucy would take good care of her sister. She finished putting on her jacket and walked to the door. "Goodnight girls," she said closing the door behind her.

"Goonight Mom," Lucy responded.

Aria was lying on the sofa with an afghan pulled up over her shoulders and she didn't say anything. Lucy came over and sat on the sofa across from her sister. Aria's eyes were closed and her breathing deep. Lucy wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not. Even though Aria's cheeks were tear-stained and her mascara smudged the pinched look that had been on her face all day had eased. Even with the crease between her fine brows she looked peaceful. Lucy decided not to disturb her.

Lucy watched her sister, profound sadness spreading through her. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She and Aria were identical twins. They both had thick dark hair and eyebrows, both had large hazel eyes and both were petite though Aria was an inch taller than Lucy. Something that had bothered Lucy immensely during her teenage years. That is until she realized all she had to do was wear taller heels than Aria.

Although physically they were so similar, their personalities were quite different. Where Lucy was outgoing Aria was introverted. She wasn't shy but she didn't feel the need to speak unless she had something worthwhile to say. Lucy was friends with everyone; a smile constantly gracing her pretty face. Aria smiled rarely but when she did it was like the sun coming out after the rain. It lit up her entire face. Aria liked to think of it as her best feature.

They were both talented in their own right. Aria was the writer. She gazed at the world with a deep penetrating gaze, taking everything in, her journal never too far away. Aria then took her observations and poured them out onto the pages of her various notebooks. She wrote prose and poetry. Her favorite, though, was to write lyrics. She would then compose the music to go with it. Music flowed through Aria's veins.

Both Aria and Lucy had piano lessons as children though it was Aria that showed a real aptitude towards it. Aria would sit for hours at the piano composing her own unique music. She played the guitar as well as the drums but piano was her first love. Although Aria had a nice singing voice Lucy surpassed her in that regard. They both took voice lessons as well but Aria quit after a while. Aria was the musician, Lucy was the singer. Lucy had a penchant for drama as well, something that Aria shied away from. Lucy was ambitious and dreamed of one day starring in a Broadway show. Aria dreamt of a family and a two-story home and f being a best-selling author as well.

They always got along as children but as they reached their teenage years things got a little dicey. Aria resented her family moving from Tennessee to California so that Lucy could jumpstart her career. Aria was jealous. While she went to school like any other teenager Lucy was on her way to fame. Sure she loved her sister but that didn't stop from being jealous at her sister's success. It especially irked her when fans excitedly approached her thinking she was Lucy. Aria would smile a bitter smile and say the three words she hated most.

"I'm not Lucy."

But then Aria went to college and found love and it was Lucy's turn to be jealous. Jake Parker was his name. Tall, blond hair, blue eyes, he was the most popular guy on campus. And the most unattainable. He was majoring in business management, training to join his family's multi-million dollar business. Aria never thought they'd have anything in common but at a frat party, after too much to drink, and a bet from a friend, Aria approached him. To her surprise (and the surprise of her friend) she fell for him, hard. And him for her. Lucy watched as Aria blossomed in her relationship while sadly her own heart was torn out and trampled upon first by David and then Alex.

Aria married Jake right out of college and two years later Nathan was born. Lucy was happy, no ecstatic, for her sister and she squashed any feeling of jealousy deep down in her heart. She had Chris and he made her happy. One day she'd be that happy, too.

Tragedy struck. Jake had been on his way home from work one evening when a drunk came careening out of nowhere and crashed headlong into Jake's BMW. He died instantly leaving behind a widow and a five month old son. Lucy wasn't jealous anymore.

Lucy's eyes flew open as she heard Aria moan out Jake's name. Aria had her arms outstretched as if they were around another person's torso. She was still asleep.

"Jake."

Her arms floundered, searching for contact.

"Jake. Where are you?" She whimpered, her anguish plain.

Lucy's heart broke. She couldn't even imagine how much pain Aria must be going through right now. She reached over and shook Aria's shoulder calling her name. Aria jerked into wakefulness.

"Huh?"

"Honey, Jake... Jake isn't here."

Aria stared at her wide-eyed.

"Why don't you go up to your bedroom? You'll be more comfortable there."

Yawning, Aria stumbled up the stairs and into her room. She shrugged out of her dress, not bothering to put pajamas on. She walked over to her nightstand and lifted the framed wedding photo of her and Jake. She lovingly traced his face with her finger. Lucy stood watching her from the doorway. Aria looked up.

"He's really gone, isn't he?"

Lucy nodded sadly.

"I was pretending," Aria paused, hesitating. "It's so much easier. To pretend." She wasn't speaking in full sentences as if it was too difficult to string one together. "He could be on a business trip. He's done that before. Gone for a few days."

Lucy shook her head. "No Aria. Don't pretend. It's only going to hurt more when you come to face reality."

But Lucy realized Aria wasn't ready to hear that yet and that even though she wasn't able to admit it, deep in her heart Aria knew he was gone. Lucy pulled back the blanket for her sister. Aria crawled into bed with the photo clutched to her chest.

Lucy swallowed the lump forming in her throat and flicked off the light. "Goodnight Aria."

"Goodnight Lucy. Thanks for everything."

As Lucy turned to go she heard Aria sob into her pillow. "Goodnight Jake. I love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**I know this isn't exactly a Lucian story or en Ezria story but a cross between them so please let me know if you want me to continue. I have the basic outline of the story planned and it will probably be around five chapters. That is, if you want me to continue.**

**Questions, comments, and criticisms are appreciated.**

**Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

** Disclaimer: Lucy Hale and Ian Harding are their own people with their own lives. I do not own them. I'm merely writing a story for entertainment purposes. Aria belongs to ABC Family and Sara Shepherd.**

Lucy awoke suddenly to a dark room, and wondered what had caused her to wake up. It felt really early; much earlier than she was used to. That's when she became aware of wailing. Nathan. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She grabbed her phone to check the time. 5:47 am. She groaned. Aria must still be sleeping. Lucy pushed herself out of bed as the crying intensified.

Nathan was lying in his crib, hysterically waving his arms and legs. Lucy heaved him up.

"Shhh Sweetie, don't cry. Shhh Auntie Lucy is going to make you a bottle. Okay Sweetie, don't cry."

His crying slowed as she jiggled him on her hip. She carried him to the kitchen and found a bottle for him in the fridge which she warmed up. She sat on the sofa feeding him and he hungrily drank it down.

Lucy brushed her hand against his soft blond hair. He was the spitting image of his father except that his eyes were hazel instead of blue. He held her gaze and she held the bottle up to his mouth. He seemed to be trying to convey his gratitude to her through his intense focus.

"Poor baby," she whispered.

Lucy briefly closed her eyes. Jake was a great guy and had fit so well into their family. Like Aria he was passionate but he was more easy-going than her. He was less intense. When her emotions were flying all over the place, he could steady her. He was her rock. He had managed the perfect balance between family and work and that was something that Lucy admired him greatly for. And now he was gone.

She opened her eyes and pulled the empty bottle out of Nathan's mouth and lifted him over her shoulder to burp him. She was so angry and that drunk. He had been convicted and was now serving time in jail for man-slaughter. The only comfort in that was that he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. It was a small comfort because nothing could bring Jake back. Lucy only hoped that there was something or someone out there that could make Aria whole again.

She could feel Nathan's head heavy on her shoulder, indicating that he had fallen asleep. Careful not to jostle him, she stood up and slowly climbed the stairs, carefully lowering him down into his crib. He stirred but then relaxed. He was asleep. Lucy wearily rubbed her eyes, wondering briefly how her sister did this every single day. If this is what motherhood entailed she wasn't sure if she was up for it.

She decided to check on Aria before going back to bed. Aria was not peacefully asleep. She was thrashing around the big bed, mumbling incoherently. Lucy stood for a moment wondering if there was anything she could do to help. Then Aria did what she had done the night before. Her arms reached out searching, searching, finding nothing.

"Jake," she moaned.

Lucy couldn't take it. Knowing that it probably wasn't the best idea, she climbed in beside her anyway.

"Aria," she whispered, brushing hair off her face.

Aria stopped moving. A moment later her eyes fluttered open.

"Lucy," she sighed. "I thought maybe you were... that he...-" she stopped, choking on her words.

Lucy silently wrapped her arms around her sister. She felt Aria trembling beneath her, felt Aria's tears soaking her t-shirt.

"Shhh... Shhh..." she repeated mindlessly, comfortingly, her heart aching.

Eventually Aria's sobs slowed. She hiccoughed once or twice and then pulled away from Lucy.

"Is Nathan sleeping? He usually gets up around now."

"I fed him and he went back to sleep."

"Thanks." Aria slid her legs over the side of the bed.

"Where are you going? Come back to sleep."

Aria shrugged. "You can sleep. I'll sleep when I'm dead." She tried to say it with a straight face but her lower lip betrayed her as it dangerously quivered.

Lucy leaned back with a sigh as Aria grabbed some clothes and made her way over to the bathroom. She climbed off the bed suddenly uncomfortable being on _their_ bed and made her way over to the guest bedroom. She was just getting comfortable again in bed when the first strains of piano reached her ears. She sat up listening closely. It was a new song. Of course. What was Aria doing the morning after burying her husband? Playing piano. It reminded her of their teenage years; finding Aria at the piano at all times of day and night, papers strewn about, alternately scribbling down music notes and lyrics.

Aria played very well, professionally even. They often talked about putting out an album with Aria's music and lyrics and Lucy's vocals. Somehow, though, it never happened. Lucy was extremely busy with her TV show and Aria with her baby.

Now Aria was having a difficult time. Lucy listened as she struggled. Aria played a few notes and then broke off. She played another few bars and then broke off again. She tried combining the two parts but failed miserably. Lucy cringed at the discordant sound.

Giving up on sleep Lucy threw some clothes on and hurried down stairs to the living room. Aria sat hunched over the baby grand, tears streaking down her face, fingers poised silently over the keys. A notebook was open on the bench beside her; the page blank.

Aria felt Lucy's presence and her shoulders tensed. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want her sister to watch her fall apart, _again. _Not being able to find the music within her was killing her; it had never happened to her before. She swiped the tears off her cheek. The universe had abandoned her, first taking her husband, now taking her music. She did not want Lucy's pity.

"I just want to be alone." Her voice trembled, her eyes focused on the black and white keys. She was afraid to look up and meet Lucy's eyes; afraid to see the pity that she knew they held.

"Of course," Lucy whispered.

Aria waited until Lucy's footsteps faded. Playing piano always made her feel good, made her feel whole, regardless if she was playing one of her own compositions or the classics. Her fingers mindlessly went to Beethoven soothing her with its familiarity.

* * *

><p>Aria picked at the food Lucy had placed in front of her. She wasn't hungry; she couldn't imagine being hungry ever again. Lucy tapped her fingers anxiously on the table.<p>

"Aria, is it okay if I go? I told Chris I'd meet him for lunch. I thought Mom would be here by now but she can't come until later this afternoon."

"Sure." A monotonous syllable. She spoke to her plate. She was forgetting how to make eye contact.

"I'll be here again tonight."

"You don't have to." A monotonous sentence.

"I want to."

"I'll be fine."

"No you won't."

Aria looked up briefly, hazel eyes meeting identical hazel.

"I won't be fine and you still don't have to come," Aria conceded, intently squashing peas with her fork.

"I want to, Aria. Why do you think I don't want to spend time with you?"

_Hmmm... Because maybe you want to spend time with Chris or Claire, or Annie or anybody else. Maybe because I don't want your pity and I definitely don't want you to start seeing me as a burden._

Aria shrugged keeping her thoughts to herself. Lucy flicked away her irritation at Aria for being so closed. If she hadn't been in a rush she might have attempted to make Aria open up. Instead she hugged Aria and hurried out.

"I love you! I'll see you later!"

"I love you too," Aria returned only once she heard the front door close.

She stood up and dumped the contents of her plate in the garbage and the dishes in the sink. She couldn't find the energy to wash them. She was about to curl up on the sofa when she heard Nathan crying from his bedroom. She lugged herself upstairs, changed his diaper, and then brought him back down. She placed him in his high chair and silently fed him. He gurgled and cooed, banging his fist against his tray. Aria managed to force a small smile, knowing in her head that her baby needed her positive reactions but unable to find it in her heart to do so.

Aria wiped his mouth and chin, hauled him out of his chair and set him down in the play room with toys. She sat on the floor near him with her back against the wall, playing with her wedding ring. She couldn't remove it. Taking it off meant that her marriage was really over, that she was a widow and her baby an orphan. No. It couldn't be. She was too young.

Nathan began to cry interrupting her thoughts. Sighing she lifted him up and rocked him. He cried harder. She began to pace, softly shushing him. He continued to scream. She could feel the frustration rising within her.

"Nathan honey, shhh, don't cry buddy. It's okay."

She took a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart.

"Shhh…"

Her frantic pacing matched his frantic cries. Aria felt like she was going to burst. She reached for the phone.

"Hi Mom, can you please come over?" she sobbed. "Nathan is screaming and I can't calm him down."

Her mother was there ten minutes later and took the bawling Nathan from a grateful Aria. Within minutes he quieted down. Defeated, she sat down on the sofa.

"I'm a horrible mother."

Julie sat near her, bouncing her grandson on her knee.

"Of course you aren't honey. Nathan senses your distress and is responding to it. He feels your pain and it hurts him."

"Right. Like I said, I'm a horrible mother."

Julie patted her knee. "Oh honey," was all she said.

Aria foolishly regretted calling her mother over. She stood up. "Is it alright if I go lay down?"

"Of course, Aria."

Aria met her mother's eyes and immediately turned away. Her mother's pain and compassion seared through her. She dragged herself up to her bedroom and huddled in bed, stroking a picture of Jake.

"I miss you honey, come back soon, please."

She closed her eyes feeling as if the world was tumbling around her. She had the eerie sensation that sanity was beyond her grasp; she was losing it and was terrified. One moment she was sure that Jake was on a business trip and would be home soon and the next moment the truth would come crashing down on her, crushing her with its weight, knowing that she would never see him again. When those moments hit all she could do was curl into a ball and with tears streaming down her face wait for it to pass. The only thing that kept her connected was thinking about Nathan, about how he needed her. She was beginning to fear that maybe even that wasn't enough.

Aria awoke to the sound of the front door opening; unaware that she had fallen asleep. She climbed out of bed and opened her bedroom door. She paused, listening to her mother's and Lucy's conversation.

"Oh hey Mom. I didn't expect you to still be here."

"Yes, well, Aria got a little overwhelmed so she called me over."

"Where is she now?"

"In her room."

"Sleeping?"

"I imagine so."

Silence. Aria debated if she should go downstairs. She wondered how Nathan was faring without her.

"I fed some of that baby rice cereal. He actually ate it really nicely. He's sleeping now so hopefully he'll sleep through the night," Julie informed Lucy. "I'm going to go home now."

"Thanks, and Mom?"

"Yes?"

"What do I do with Aria? This morning she was trying to play piano and it just wasn't going. When I came over to speak to her she asked me to leave. And then at lunch I was trying to speak to her and she just blew me off."

"I think we need to give her space. We need to be there in the background so that she knows that when she's ready to open up we will be there for her."

Aria thought she heard Lucy choke back a sob. "It's so hard. I keep on thinking Jake will walk through the door, smiling, saying how it's all a joke."

"I know honey just imagine how much harder it is for Aria."

Lucy shuddered.

"I've got to go. Goodnight Lucy."

"Goodnight Mom."

Aria crawled back into bed. It felt good to know that her Mom understood that she needed space; she needed to be alone, to grieve. It felt good to know that Lucy shared in her pain, that she wasn't the only one who missed Jake. For the first time since she had heard the crushing news she felt a spark of hope that maybe she'd eventually get through this.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**A very big thank you lostinthemusicx11 for your encouraging review. **

**Thanks to all of you who liked and Favorited this story.**

**I would like to get more reviews if that's possible. **

**Comments, questions, and criticisms are very much appreciated.**

**P.S. Ian Harding shows up in next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Aria! Go! You've haven't left this house in weeks. It's not healthy," Lucy urged.

"I'm fine," Aria said stubbornly.

"No you're not," Lucy argued back. "I will not let you spend the rest of your life in sweats, eating Chinese take-out."

Aria sat on the piano bench where she had taken up sitting since the accident. She hadn't tried playing again since the morning after but she would sit there for hours staring at the glossy keys, sometimes absently running her fingers across them.

"Aria, please, it's enough. Nathan needs you," Lucy pleaded.

Lucy had been bugging her for the past week to get out of the house. Aria hated to admit that Lucy had finally gotten to her.

"Fine," she said throwing her hands down. "You win. I'll go out."

Lucy clapped her hands together gleefully. Aria gave her a grudging smile as she made her way up the stairs. She showered and dressed, putting on something casual and very light makeup. She paused in front of the mirror, noticing her wedding band still on her finger. She slowly pulled it off and put it in her jewelry box causing an immediate flood of tears.

"Aria?" she heard Lucy call.

She curled her fingers around the small golden band and sank to the floor, rocking back and forth.

"Aria?" Lucy called again her voice closer this time.

Aria felt Lucy's arms enclose around her. "What is it?" she whispered into her hair.

Aria uncurled her fingers revealing the ring that was sitting in her palm.

"Oh Aria!"

"He... He's gone... our marriage is gone...I'm going out in public...single... L-Lucy... I c-can't..."

Lucy sighed in despair. As soon as Aria seemed to be coming together something would knock her back once again. Lucy reached for Aria's jewelry box and rummaged through it until she pulled out a plain golden chain. She handed it to Aria.

"Here. Wear it around your neck. He may not be here physically but he is still in your heart."

Aria wiped her eyes. "Thank you." She slipped the ring onto the chain and Lucy closed it for her. Aria clasped her hand against it and could feel the cool outline of the ring against her chest.

"Ready to go?"

"Let me just fix my makeup and I'll be right down."

"Of course. I'm going to take Nathan with me to my apartment so you'll have this place completely to yourself."

"If you think I'm going to bring someone back here -"

Lucy held her hands up, a smile ghosting across her lips. "I didn't say anything."

Aria snorted as she turned to the mirror. She came downstairs a few minutes later. She put on her jacket, grabbed her car keys from their hook and then paused at the front door.

"This feels weird."

Lucy didn't say anything, she just gave Aria a look. Aria sighed and opened the front door. She hesitated.

"Bye, Aria. Have fun."

Aria snorted again before closing the door behind her. A little while later Aria found herself at a bar. She knew this wasn't what Lucy had in mind when she had encouraged her to go out. She tried going to a coffee shop but when the barista asked her what she wanted all she could think of was Jake's favorite coffee. She had nearly broken down in tears right there. Instead she excused herself and hurried out of the shop. After that the only viable option seemed to be a bar where she could drown her sorrows in alcohol.

She was on her third shot when she started feeling the buzz.

"This is good," she mumbled to herself.

She ordered another two shots; she was going to get so wasted. She gazed around the crowded bar. It seemed to be couples' night out. Wherever she looked she saw happy couples sitting, drinking, or dancing together.

"It sucks being single," she told herself as she swirled her fifth shot around in her glass.

The sound of laughter pulled her out of her glass. Inexplicably, she felt anger rising within her. She enviously watched all the happy couples around her.

"I used to be like them," she continued talking to herself. "Now I'm sitting alone and God, I'm even talking to myself. I'm so screwed."

Aria turned as she heard the chimes on top of the door jingle, indicating that someone had walked in. People were constantly coming in and out so she took no notice but this time a certain hush had fallen over the room.

She then heard a female near her stage whisper. "I think that's Ian Harding."

Ian lifted his head at the sound of his name and turned in the direction of the girl and smiled his trademark smile. The buzz of talking resumed, louder this time. Out of the corner of his eye Ian could see all the girls rummaging in their bags for their phones. Inwardly he groaned. He had recently broken up with his girlfriend and was in need of a drink. He wasn't in the mood of smiling and giving autographs. He continued looking around as he walked over to the bar to order his drink. As he waited for the bartender to bring it to him he noticed a familiar petite, hazel-eyed brunette. His mood immediately lifted.

"Lucy?" he asked incredulously as he approached her.

Aria, busy gulping down another shot, didn't hear him. Ian moved closer surprised to see Lucy drinking alone.

"Lucy?" he repeated a little louder this time.

She turned to look at him. Something was off, Ian realized. There was a deep sadness in those eyes that weren't identical to Lucy's. And then he remembered. Lucy had a twin.

"I'm not Lucy," she mumbled. "I'm Aria."

"I'm sorry. I know; we've met before."

Aria nodded. "At Lucy's place. That was a long time ago. You work with her, right?"

Ian's eyes lit up. "Indeed I do." Ian remembered meeting Aria, remembered the instant attraction he had felt. He also remembered that she had been off bounds. She had been married and she is Lucy's sister.

The bartender silently handed Ian his drink. Ian nodded his thanks and drank it down, enjoying the burn of the alcohol. Aria was watching him, studying his blue eyes, so similar to Jake's. Ian put his hand over Aria's.

"Sorry about your loss."'

The hum of conversation was once again cut short by the same female stage-whispering once again. "I think that's Lucy Hale!"

Unbeknownst to Aria and Ian she whipped out her phone and immediately shot a candid of the two of them with Ian's hand on top of Aria's. Aria and Ian, absorbed in their conversation did not notice the cluster of fans that were watching them with mouths gaping open.

Aria shrugged in response to Ian's condolence and reached for her glass. Ian stopped her.

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"No."

He chuckled thinking she was joking. She looked into his eyes. They were so blue and they shone with vibrancy, so much like Jake's. She suddenly pulled Ian's face towards her own and kissed him full on the lips. Ian hesitated in surprise but then returned the kiss. He had wanted to do this so badly ever since he had met her and it felt so good. He disregarded the fact that he was in a public, in a place where he had been recognized.

There were gasps from the crowd. Cameras were flashing and within minutes pictures of the two of them kissing were all over the internet. The most popular caption read: Lucian Forever!

"Let's go to my place," she offered.

Aria stood up suddenly and almost lost her balance. Ian caught her, his strong arms steadying her.

"Whoa! Watch out," he cautioned.

They stared into each others' eyes and simultaneously attacked each others' lips. After a moment, though, Ian pulled away.

"Let's go to your place," he finally noticing the many eyes and cameras upon them.

He placed his arm around her waist and helped her to his car all the while trying to ward off the many fans that were following them. She gave him her address and it wasn't long before he was pulling into her driveway. During the drive Ian had time to think and come to the conclusion that this was a terrible idea.

"Come on!" Aria broke into his thoughts.

She was standing outside the car, the passenger door open with her hanging onto it for support. She was so drunk. He couldn't leave her like this; she needed his help. With a sigh he turned off the ignition and came around to help her.

Aria kicked off her shoes as soon as she came through the door. Ian looked around, somehow feeling like he was trespassing, as if he didn't belong.

"Upstairs," she ordered pulling him along with her. He stumbled up the stairs behind her.

"Aria, maybe we should continue this a different-"

Aria lost her balance and fell right on top of him. Ian gripped the banister as he struggled to hold himself up before both of them went tumbling down the stairs. He could feel her ass pressing against his member causing him to harden.

_No. _He couldn't do this. _She's drunk. You'd be taking advantage of her. She just recently lost her husband and she's Lucy's sister! Stop it, Ian! Stop it!_

He gently pushed her off of him which was difficult as she was giggling hysterically. Finally she pulled herself together somewhat and he followed her to her room. She stopped for a moment at the foot of the bed and to Ian's horror she pulled her zipper down and stepped right out of her dress.

_Oh God, no._

She was wearing simple black cotton panties and bra but the simplicity turned him on. He watched, feeling guilty at the pleasure he felt, as she crawled into bed.

"Are you coming?"

"Aria, this isn't a good idea."

"Just lay with me."

Unable to refuse he climbed into bed beside her. He accidently brushed against her and felt his erection grow impossibly bigger. He began to stroke himself as he watched her. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes brushing against her rosy cheeks. He gazed at her full lips, at the line of her neck. Suddenly her hand reached out and touched his face.

"Goodnight Jake."

Ian pulled his hand out of his boxers and slid off the bed in one fluid motion. His erection completely gone. Defeated he walked down the stairs and settled on the sofa for an uncomfortable night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Just want to say a huge thank you to all of you who alerted and Favorited my story. It means the world to me.**

**I want to say an even bigger thank you to all of you who commented. I cannot begin to tell you how much it means to me.**

**And as usual questions, comments, and criticisms welcome.**

**Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ian awoke to the sound of the front door being flung open and to Lucy's shout.

"ARIA!"

Ian pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his sore back. Moments later Lucy came storming into the living room. She stopped short at the sight of him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ian? You didn't- What the hell were you thinking? Where is that woman? ARIA! Get the hell down here!"

Ian had never seen Lucy this angry. Before he could reply a hung over Aria walked down the stairs; she hadn't bothered to get dressed. She was only wearing her bra and panties from the night before. Ian felt himself blushing.

"Why are you shouting?" she groaned, rubbing her aching head.

Lucy gaped at her and only then did she notice Ian on the sofa and the fact that she was barely dressed. She blushed a fetching red.

"Oh good Lord," she turned on her heel and dashed up the stairs.

She came down moments later dressed in sweats. "So what were you shouting about?"

"What the hell were you guys thinking?"

"What are you talking about?" Aria asked at the same time that Ian said,

"We weren't."

Lucy turned to Aria. "Do you have any recollection of what happened last night? Or were you too wasted to remember?"

Aria struggled to remember. "I was drinking… a lot. And then Ian came in. He thought I was you. And then…" Aria's voice trailed off. She blushed again as she remembered.

Lucy crossed her arms across her chest. "And then what?"

"We kissed," Ian supplied.

"Yeah and in front of a whole lot of people. Obviously neither of you has checked Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, or any freaking fan website out there." Lucy just about exploded.

"Huh?"

Lucy thrust her phone in front of Aria's face. Aria paled. There were probably hundreds of pictures of her and Ian. There was the one where Ian's hand was on top of hers, countless pictures of them kissing, more of them with his arms around her waist and still more as they walked together to his car.

Aria groaned. Ian had in the meantime taken out his phone his eyes widening at his Twitter mentions. He saw the pictures too.

Lucy turned to Ian. "All our fans are celebrating that we finally came out of the closet; have you seen that Lucian trended worldwide?"

"I see," he said in a serious voice, so unlike his own. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling his curls.

Lucy's anger flared. "You see? Don't you have anything more intelligent to say? Chris called me this morning to check this out. He hadn't seen the pictures but he received a ton of hate and gloating messages from all the Lucian fans. Marlene called too; she wanted confirmation for the rumor. She sounded really relieved to hear that it wasn't true. Even Ashley Benson called me wondering what was going on. I already tweeted that it's my sister but none of the fans want to believe it.

"And my sister? Of all people in the world you have to kiss my sister? In public? God! Were you thinking at all? Don't you have any sensitivity at all?"

Ian opened his mouth to reply but then shut it. He didn't have anything to say. She was absolutely right.

"Lucy, can you stop thinking about yourself for a minute? You know, ever since you've become _so famous _you've become obnoxious. I'm not your double; I'm not your clone. Why is it that none of your fans or even Marlene know I exist? Are you embarrassed of me? Is it not cool to have an identical twin sister? I have a life too. But no. You're the one to dictate what I do, how I do, and where I do whatever I'm doing! I've become anonymous. I walk in the street and I hear people whispering Lucy Hale. You know, I should wear a t-shirt that in the front says 'I'm Aria' and the back says 'I'm not Lucy'. That way wherever I go people will know that I'm not you. People don't know of my existence. And all you can think about is what your fans are saying about you and Ian. Who cares?"

"Aria, what the hell is wrong with you? Can _you _stop thinking about _your_self? I've worked my ass off to get to where I am today. Can't you applaud me for that? Or are you too jealous? You could have done the same. You could have been the famous one and people would be confusing me for you. You have great music you could have put out. Don't be angry at me because you haven't pursued your career."

They glared at each other. Ian cleared his throat; they both ignored him.

"This has nothing to do with me being selfish. This has to do with-"

Lucy cut her off; she hadn't quite finished her tirade. "It doesn't Aria? For the past few months I've put my life aside for you, I've been here all hours of night and day taking care of you, taking care of Nathan, cooking for you, cleaning for you. If you called me I ran, if you told me to jump I asked how high. I'm sick of it Aria. And to top it off you don't have the decency to think of how it would affect me before kissing Ian in public"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. "Aria I'm-"

"No! Don't say you're sorry. You said those words and you meant them."

Aria turned away so they wouldn't see the trembling of her chin and the tears that gathered in her eyes.

"Where is Nathan?"

"I dropped him off at Mom."

"I'm going to pick him up. Thank you Lucy for babysitting last night." She spoke coldly, distantly, as if Lucy were some stranger.

"Aria-"

"You can send me the bill in the mail," Aria couldn't help but add sarcastically.

"Aria!"

The front door closed with a bang. Too late, Aria realized her car was still at the bar. She ran a hand through her messy hair and began pacing.

Lucy was furiously texting. Ian stood up and Lucy looked up momentarily from her phone.

"Where are you going?"

"I drove Aria home last night; she doesn't have her car and I bet you she's too proud to come back in here."

Lucy ran her fingers through her hair in a similar fashion to Aria. "I really screwed up."

Ian couldn't help but nod.

"I can't explain how frustrating it was to get so many mentions from fans. My entire timeline was overrun. And that's not to mention all those paparazzi and tabloid blogs having a heyday with this."

"Why are you so bothered by this? Is it because you are afraid that the fans are picking up on something real?"

There was fear in Lucy's eyes, fear of hurting him. "I've told you this before, Ian, and I hope I'm not hurting you but I really don't like you in that way. I think we're great friends and I hope it stays that way."

"I don't like you that way either, Lucy."

"But sometimes I feel like you're studying me…" she said quickly looking down at her phone.

"Do you remember when I met Aria for the first time?"

"I actually do. It was about two years ago when I moved into a new apartment and threw a party. We had just started working for the show together."

"Yes. It was just after Aria had gotten married. Jake was there too."

Realization dawned on Lucy. "You were attracted to her but you didn't act on it because of Jake."

Ian nodded.

She spoke slowly as the thought just occurred to her. "And all those times you've looked at me that way, you were thinking about Aria not me."

Ian nodded again. "I always wondered what it would be like to kiss her. And then I would wonder if it was similar to kissing you, being that you guys are identical. And then you'd catch me staring at you." Ian looked down at his hands.

Lucy began playing with her phone. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Lucy finally spoke up. "It really doesn't feel good being second to Aria, being the _identical _one and not the original."

"Imagine how much more difficult it is for Aria. Every day she has to live with the fact the almost the entire world thinks that she is you."

"That's awful."

There was another awkward silence.

"I'm going to relieve Aria from her predicament."

"Maybe I should come too. I should apologize."

Ian frowned. "I think you should give her time to cool down."

"You're probably right. I'm really glad we cleared this up."

"Me too. Have a good day." He waved.

He found Aria on the front steps. She quickly wiped her eyes at the sound of footsteps.

"Hey."

She didn't respond.

"Would you like a ride to your car?"

"Please."

Aria followed Ian to his car and silently took her seat. She spoke up a little while later.

"Do you think Lucy has a point?"

Ian glanced sideways at her, wondering how much she was able to take.

"I think that Lucy has been working incredibly hard these past few months to help you and all she wants is a response. She wants to see you that you are progressing, that you are healing somewhat. I think that seeing you drunkenly kiss me made her feel that you haven't progressed at all. I think that's what's really bothering her."

"Wow. You might be right. How do you understand her so well?"

Ian smiled. "I like watching people; I also read a lot so that gives me a pretty good idea of what people are like."

A few minutes later they arrived at the bar which was deserted at that time of day.

"Thank you so much, Ian. I really appreciate everything you've done." She opened the passenger door.

"Do you regret kissing last night?" Ian asked swiftly, before he could regret asking and before she could turn away.

Aria paused. "No. But now that I'm sober I'm thinking that maybe I'm not ready yet?" she ended it as a question, unsure of herself.

Ian gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath. "Last night before you fell asleep you called me Jake. I understand that you are still grieving and that's okay. But I'm not here as his replacement. If you want to spend time with me it has to be because you want me and not because I remind you of him."

Aria nodded. "Of course," she hesitated. It looked like she was going to say something but she didn't.

"I should be going. Have a good day, Aria."

She waved. "Thanks again. Maybe we'll see each other again soon."

He watched the sway of her hips as she walked over to her car. She waved again as she drove passed him. He nodded weakly and slumped in his seat. She did think it was a mistake, them making out last night. _Maybe we'll see each other again_ _soon_, he replayed her words in his head. It was so impersonal. Did she have feelings for him? The way she kissed him... but maybe that was only because she thought he was Jake. He had actually thought there was some hope for them to be together. Apparently he was wrong. With a sigh he turned his key into the ignition, sadly wondering if he would ever be able to have her.

Aria pulled up at her Mom's and hurried out of the car, tears blurring her vision. She screwed up with Lucy; she screwed up with Ian and she felt like she was always screwing up with Nathan. She hardly ever spent time with him anymore. Either he was at daycare, at Lucy, or her Mom's. Every time she looked into his eyes, at his snub little nose, at his round cheeks it reminded her so much of Jake that it physically hurt.

She rang the bell and pushed the door open without waiting for a response. "Mom?"

"Shhh. I just put Nathan to sleep." Her mother emerged from the hallway. "Oh Aria it's you. How are you doing, honey?" she asked as she enveloped Aria in a hug.

Aria sniffled. "Lucy is so mad at me."

"Oh honey, she'll get over it. You guys always do; you love each other too much. Have you eaten anything yet today? Come into the kitchen I'll make you some toast. Everything is always better on a full stomach."

Aria followed her Mom into the kitchen. Even though she was a mother herself, somehow whenever she spent time with her own mother, she felt like a little kid all over again. She let her Mom fry up some egg and bacon for her.

"Thank you," she said gratefully as her mother set a full plate in front of her together with a cup of coffee. "You're the best, Mom."

Aria had just finished telling her mother what had happened between her and Lucy earlier in the morning when they heard the front door open. It was Lucy.

"Aria I'm so sorry. I can't believe I said those awful things; it was just in the heat of the moment. I was so angry about the pictures that I didn't even stop to think how you'd feel about it. For the record I don't think you are selfish at all. The way you take care of Nathan shows how you always put his needs before your own. You've gone through a terrible loss; I can't believe how insensitive I was. I never stopped to think how hard it would be for you if people would mistake me for you. I know I would hate it. I'm so so sorry Aria," Lucy rambled.

She stood in the entrance of the kitchen, remorse written all over her face. It was obvious she was afraid to come in, afraid of Aria's reaction. Aria stood up and hugged Lucy.

"Oh shut up already. It's alright."

Lucy hugged her back. "Oh my God, thanks! I thought you were going to hate me forever."

"I could never hate you. Sure, you're obnoxious and annoying, but you're my sister. I have no choice but to love you."

Lucy laughed. "Well that's reassuring."

Lucy came to sit at the cozy kitchen table across from Aria. Her Mom set a cup of coffee in front of her and then sat down with them.

"I have an idea of how to solve your Twitter problem," she told Lucy.

"Really?"

"Yes. The two of you should take a picture together and post it online so all your fans will see that there really are two of you."

"Mom! You are a genius! Aria come over here now. We are going to show the world," Lucy ended in a singsong as she was wont to do.

Laughing, Aria moved over to Lucy's side of the table. Aria still had a huge smile on her face as Lucy held out her phone and snapped the picture of both of them.

"Perfect," Lucy said as she edited it on Instagram and then posted it on Twitter. "All done."

"We have shown the world," Aria said imitating Lucy's singsong.

They all laughed.

"Indeed we have."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I thought I would never be one of the authors to update so erratically and if I was, I didn't think I'd be leaving lame excuses for taking so long. But alas, here I am. So here are my sincerest apologies. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon but no promises.**

**I want to sort of explain my thought process for this story. I can't deny the chemistry between Lucy and Ian. However she is now dating Chris and claims to be happy therefore I'm reluctant to write a Lucian story because it doesn't flow with reality. I know this is a fiction site but still. I kept on thinking if only there was another Lucy for Ian to date. So I was like, I'll just take Aria out of the realm of TV and bring her into our reality to be with Ian. I know it's the same as Lucy and Ian being together but in my head it's better than nothing.**

**Sorry for this lengthy note. It's not my thing but I felt explanation was needed.**

**Enjoy!**

**Please please review!**

**Thank you for reading.**

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><p>Aria sat on her sofa a book open in her lap, a cup of coffee on the coffee table in front of her. Nathan was on the carpet playing with his toys.<p>

"Kah," he said holding up a toy car.

She nodded at him and smiled. "That's right. A car. Good job, buddy."

He smiled a large toothy grin. "Kah," he repeated.

Aria couldn't help but return his smile. She slid off the sofa and embraced him, kissing his pudgy cheeks. "You're so cute. I love you!"

He smiled returning to his toys and Aria heaved herself back onto the sofa. She sighed. The past few months hadn't been easy but somehow things had settled into somewhat of a routine. She had gone back to work and Nathan was sent to daycare. Evenings were quiet; just the two of them. Once he was asleep it was just her. Those few hours between Nathan's bedtime and her own were the most difficult. Occasionally when she had been forced into a date either her Mom or Lucy would come over to babysit.

Aria glanced at the clock and with another sigh made her way to the kitchen to put together dinner for Nathan. Maybe this was going to be her life, maybe she was always going to be a single mom, maybe it would always be just her and Nathan. She pushed the depressing thought away as she settled Nathan in his high chair. It wasn't fair to him for her to be distracted; she'd save these thoughts and feelings for later, when she was alone in bed.

Nathan playfully banged his hands on his high chair tray sending mashed potatoes flying across the kitchen.

"No Nathan. Food is for eating not throwing," Aria admonished while she narrowly dodged a flying clump of potatoes.

Nathan giggled and continued banging. Aria sighed as the phone rang; what awful timing.

Aria reached for her phone. "Hello?"

"Get your butt off your sofa and get over here right now."

"Well, hi to you too, Lucy."

"Hey Aria. I thought you said you'd be coming over this evening."

"I changed my mind. And for your information I'm trying to feed Nathan dinner. I am not sitting on my sofa."

"Okay so come over after you feed him."

"Are you kidding me? At this present moment this kid is lathering his head in mashed potatoes as if it's shampoo. Once we're done here he is getting a bath and then going to bed."

"Bathe him and bring him over. I'll put him to bed."

"Why is it so important for me to come over? Ugh Nathan, stop! Lucy, this is a really bad time. I'll call you later."

"I'm picking you up in a half an hour," Lucy said hurriedly before Aria could hang up.

Aria groaned. "Fine. I'll be there in an hour. You don't have to pick us up."

"Awesome. See you later, bye."

Aria managed to get a few spoonfuls of food into Nathan's mouth before she pulled him out of his high chair and brought him upstairs.

"You are so dirty Nathan. Why do you have to get your food all over the place?"

"Ooh," he said.

"Yes food. Good job Nathan."

He clapped his hands in delight. Aria filled the bath water and stripped him down.

"We're going to have a bath and then we're going to Aunt Lucy."

"Ooh – Eeeih."

"Lu-cy," Aria corrected him as she put him down in the tub. "Yes but you're going straight to sleep, buddy."

Nathan looked at her with big, round eyes. Aria laughed.

"Okay, one story and then straight to bed."

He clapped again, splashing the water. Aria washed him down and then watched him as he played in the water, splashing contently. She let him play for a while and then took him out and dressed him in pajamas. Aria let him take his teddy bear and his favorite book with him. She strapped him into his car seat and drove over to Lucy's apartment.

Lucy greeted her at the door with, "Hey. I was about to call you again to see where you were?"

"Well here I am. Where's the fire?" Aria asked as she pushed past Lucy with Nathan on her hip.

She stopped short when she saw Ian Harding sitting on Lucy's sofa. She angrily set Nathan down on the floor and turned to Lucy, pulling her into the kitchen and slamming the door behind them. She could hear Nathan begin to cry from the other side of the door but ignored him.

"Oh my God. Lucy! You set me up! I can't believe you've done this to me, and with Ian of all people. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Aria, how many times do I have to tell you that he likes you? You would never have come if I would have told you he'd be here. Just go talk to him for a bit. I'll take care of Nathan."

"I can't believe this," she muttered. "And look what I'm wearing. You could have warned me to get dressed up, maybe make my hair or put some on same makeup. God, I look awful."

She was wearing a loose v-neck t-shirt, jeans, and Toms. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun with hair falling around her face. She wore no makeup.

Lucy gave her a little shove. "Great. If he likes you when you look like this then you know there's potential."

Aria groaned. "I'm going to kill you."

"Fine, just go meet Ian first."

The sight that greeted her melted her heart. Nathan was sitting on Ian's lap while Ian was reading him his book. In one hand Ian held the book and in the other Nathan's teddy bear. Ian looked up, smiled, and ducked his head in greeting.

"Wow," Aria said amazed. "If Nathan gave you his bear that means he likes you. He barely lets anyone hold it for him."

"Nathan has good taste," Lucy said.

Both Aria and Ian blushed. Lucy took the opportunity to lift up Nathan.

"Come to Aunt Lucy. Do you want candy?"

"Andy," Nathan said excitedly.

"Lucy, no. Sorry buddy, no candy. You told me you were going to put him to bed; he already brushed his teeth."

"Okay, okay. I just had to get him off of Ian. Have fun you two."

Aria rolled her eyes and sat down on the side of the sofa leaving a wide space between her and Ian.

"I take it Lucy didn't fill you in on this arrangement," Ian said.

"No, not at all."

"Well if it makes you feel better I didn't know about this either. Lucy asked if I wanted to hang out and I agreed. She was acting weird all evening and I couldn't figure out why until you showed up."

"Uh huh."

Aria took a deep breath and tried to relax. Ian made her nervous. She didn't know why. No other guy had ever made her this jittery. Actually there was one guy; Jake. She remembered when she first approached him at the frat party. She remembered how her heart had pounded throughout their whole interaction. Her heart was pounding like that now. _Aria, stop looking at his lips, stop wondering what it would be like to kiss him. _ She tore her eyes away from his lips and looked into his eyes; hazel meeting midnight blue. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his. There was something there, something raw, something real, something she couldn't put her finger on.

Ian then dipped his head down to kiss her and Aria moved her face away so that his lips brushed her cheek. Aria felt a jolt at the contact. _Stop imagining things._

"Sorry," Ian apologized as he leaned back, rigid.

"I'm sorry too," Aria spoke to her hands which were neatly folded in her lap.

Silence.

"Aria?" Ian said tentatively.

She looked up but didn't meet his gaze.

"Can you be honest with me?"

She met his eyes this time. "What do you mean?"

"I can be honest with you. I can tell you exactly what I'm feeling. I can tell you that…" deep breath, "that I like you and would like to get to know you better. Can you be honest with your feelings?"

Aria shifted uncomfortably. She looked back down at her hands, at her slender fingers, twining around each other. "I'm… I'm confused."

She momentarily met his gaze before returning it to her hands.

"I've dated a lot of guys since that time we met in the bar. Everyone's been trying to marry me off again. My Mom, Lucy, my co-workers, my friends, Lucy's friends." Aria gave a nervous laugh.

"How's it been?"

"Awful." She closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting.

"How awful?"

Ian's voice broke into her thoughts. She smiled nervously at him.

"Pretty awful. Nobody wants to date a single mom, especially when there are so many hot singles out there. Almost every guy I dated lost interest as soon as I told them about Nathan. I started bringing a picture of him to the date and would forewarn them that I had a son. The date usually ended right there. I was lucky if I got more than an hour with them." Aria couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Aria fell silent and silence reigned once more.

"So what are you confused about?"

Aria stared at him for a second and then remembered she had told him she felt confused. "I… I think I like you," she took a deep breath. _You make me feel… I've only ever felt this way with Jake. And then I think about Jake and I feel like I'm betraying him by being with someone else. I vowed to be with him forever. And then I think about you, about what you said last time, about being with you for you and not for him. And then I think it's unfair to you that he's still on my mind… _Aria took another deep breath. She couldn't tell him that; she barely knew him.

"I think… I think…" she shook her head violently.

Ian slowly moved closer to Aria and put his hand over hers. He heard her sharp intake of breath, he saw her shudder.

"Aria"

He whispered his mouth so close to her she could feel his breath gently blowing against her face.

"Can you stop thinking so much?"

His face hovered right above hers. She let out a nervous giggle.

"I'm not sure if I can."

"I think you can," his voice still a whisper.

Her heart stopped as his lips gently pressed against hers and all coherent thought fled. She pressed her lips, harder, into his. Ian ran his tongue along her bottom lip and Aria parted hers to let him in. She wound her arms around his neck, her hands gripping his hair. He reached down and gripped her waist, their lips never parting, tongues battling against each other.

Ian's hand slid under her shirt and cupped her right breast. Aria gasped and wrenched her mouth free, her hands sliding down onto his shoulders. Ian pulled his hand out.

"What?"

"Sorry, I just didn't expect that."

"It's okay," he gently brushed his fingertips along her cheek.

Aria shivered.

"How do you feel now?"

"Still confused?" she was unsure of herself. Confused was an understatement. She definitely had feelings for him but her brain was screaming that it was a terrible idea. _He works with Lucy, he's her friend. What if something goes wrong? Hell, something will definitely go wrong. Why are you even thinking this could work out? Because he read Nathan a story? What about Jake? Aria, stop before you get hurt._

Ian stood up and handed her his number. "I know I've been really forward so here's my number and I'm going to wait for you to call me. I don't want you to feel like I'm stalking you. When you are ready call me. Alright?"

"Alright," Aria nodded. "Thanks."

"For what?"

Aria spread her arms out, trying to find words, "For everything."

He smiled. It spread across his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. _God, he was so cute_, the thought slipped through the barrier in her mind. Aria couldn't help but return the smile. It lit up her whole face. He reached over and squeezed her hand and then he was gone.

When Lucy came out of her room a while later the living room was empty.

"Aria?"

"Out here."

Lucy followed her voice to the balcony. Aria was leaning against the railing watching the twinkling lights that made up the city of LA. Lucy came up and stood beside her.

"So?"

"Is Nathan sleeping?"

Lucy snorted. "Yes. Don't avoid the question. How'd it go?"

"You know I'm supposed to kill you now," Aria looked straight ahead but a smile played on the corners of her mouth.

Lucy playfully punched her arm. "Come on, tell me."

"We talked a little…"

"And?"

"We kissed…"

"Really? And?"

"He gave me his number."

"And?"

"And that's it."

"Really?"

"He wants me to come to him."

Lucy opened her mouth but Aria stopped her.

"Lucy, please, give me some time. I know you're enjoying playing matchmaker but this is my life and you can't dictate it."

Lucy backed down. "Of course. I'm sorry if I came across that way."

Aria linked her arm into Lucy's. "Do you mind if I stay the night?

"Of course not. You know you're always welcome."

Aria smiled as did Lucy. As they walked into the apartment Lucy murmured,

"I promise you Aria things will work out."

"I'm sure they will."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the extremely long break. I got discouraged because I got so few reviews on the last chapter and lost my motivation to continue. But I hate leaving things unfinished so I decided to post one last chapter for some closure. The thing is this doesn't have to be in the end. If you guys want I have more to the story, we could continue to explore Aria's and Ian's relationship, more ups and downs, more doubts on Aria's part. And there will be some drama as well. It's up to you. Review if you want the story to continue. (It's not a threat, I just need an audience.)**

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><p>Aria nervously held the crumpled piece of paper in her hand staring at the phone number scrawled on it. <em>Just do it. Just call him.<em>

She lost track of how many times she had unfolded and refolded that scrap of paper in the past few days. She slowly refolded it once again and put it on her nightstand. She switched off her bedside lamp and slowly pulled up her covers. She was tired; tired of thinking, tired of the endless circles her mind insisted on traveling.

She was afraid of being alone. At times like these the fear gripped her, choked her. She could see herself thirty years from now, graying and wrinkled, alone. And then the pendulum would swing to the fear of having her heart broken once again would take over. Aria shuddered. She hated how in the darkened silence of her room the same thoughts repeated themselves, night after night.

With a sigh, Aria flipped the lamp back on and picked up the book on her nightstand, knowing that sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight.

_Just text him, one little text. You know you want to._  
><em>Forget about him. It's not worth the heartache and pain.<em>

But she couldn't forget about him. Even after all the heartache, maybe he was worth it.

_No. No guy is worth that much._  
><em>But maybe it's better than being here miserable and alone.<em>

She restlessly pushed her covers off, tired of the internal argument. Fortifying herself with a deep breath she reached for her phone and with trembling fingers typed up a short text.

_Hey it's Aria. I hope it's not too late._

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><p>Ian sighed and stretched as he walked off set with Lucy. They had just finished filming a scene and he was more than ready to head home. Lucy walked silently beside him already engrossed in her phone. He was surprised when his phone chirped indicating a text. Lucy looked up from her phone.<p>

"Is Holly picking a fight with you again?"

"No." There was bewilderment in his tone. "It's from Aria." _Finally._

Lucy had been silently wondering all week if Aria had contacted Ian. She hadn't asked Aria because she knew Aria would resent her involvement and she figured that Ian would tell her once she got in touch with him. She was right. "Aria? My sister?"

"How many Arias do you know?" he asked wryly.

"Wow, she must be having a hard night."

"What do you mean?" he asked, intrigued.

Lucy paused for a minute trying to find the right words to convey Aria's loneliness. "Evenings are always the hardest for her. During the day while she's at work it's easy to imagine that nothing's changed. Even once Nathan comes home it's easy to pretend that Jake's working late. But once she puts Nathan to bed it's just her, that's when there's no escaping reality. She's a widow; a single mom."

He clucked his tongue sympathetically. "Widow, single mom," he repeated. "It's so harsh." His arms waved expressively as he too searched for the right words. He shrugged unable to come up with any more adjectives.

"Are you planning to text her back? She's probably freaking out that you haven't answered yet. She's probably thinking that you aren't interested. Text her!" she commanded urgently.

"Okay, okay, of course." He hit the reply button and thought for a moment before he typed up.

_Nope, not too late. Just finished shooting._

Her reply was quick in coming. _Maybe we can hang out this weekend? – Aria_

_Sure, I'll think of something and let you know. – Ian _

_Looking forward. G'night. – Aria_

_Good night. – Ian._

* * *

><p>Aria anxiously peered out the window. She was being paranoid, she knew, but it was too hard to stop. She glanced back at Nathan would was sitting contently on the floor playing with his cars. She turned back to look out the window. She had made up with Ian that he would pick her and Nathan up at eleven and they'd all go to the park for a picnic brunch. It was now 11:03.<p>

What if he bailed on her? What then? How disappointed would she be? _Aria, stop! Give the man a break. You know what LA traffic is like. Three minutes is not considered late. He isn't going to stand you up._

A honk outside interrupted her thoughts. She opened the door to indicate that she'd be out in a minute then she turned and scooped Nathan up, setting him on her right hip.

"Come on Sweetie, we're going to the park with Ian."

"Park," he concurred.

She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and lifted up the car seat. It was difficult carrying Nathan in one hand and the car seat in the other, with the car seat awkwardly banging against her leg. She set the car seat down on the ground and fumbled with her keys, trying to lock the door with her left hand. Annoyance flashed through her. It was compounded by the knowledge that Ian was waiting. _If only Jake was her; it'd be so much easier. _She couldn't stop the thought as it crossed her mind.

"Need help?"

Ian's voice behind her startled her. She turned around and blushed, thankful that he couldn't see her thoughts.

Without waiting for her reply he held out his hands. "Let me take this little guy."

Aria handed Nathan over and Ian effortlessly, it seemed, picked up the car seat and carried the two to the car while Aria locked up. By the time she reached the car Nathan was already buckled inside. Ian reached over and opened the passenger door for Aria. She looked up at him with a smile as she slipped inside.

"Thank you."

He grinned, "My pleasure."

He got behind the wheel and they were off. The car ride was mostly silent with Aria nervously chewing her lip. It wasn't too long before Ian pulled into the parking lot near the tiny tot section of the park. Ian went around and Aria thought he was going to open her door again but he went to the back seat and took Nathan out. He lifted Nathan high over his head and the little boy squealed in delight.

"Do you mind grabbing the basket?" Ian called over her shoulder as he began walking towards the playground, swinging a delighted Nathan.

"Sure."

Aria settled the bags on a grassy slope and then sauntered over to the playground. From afar she could already hear Nathan's laughter and a smile broke out on her face. She quickened her pace and soon the boys came into view. Ian was helping Nathan down the kiddie slide, his hands below Nathan's armpits, holding him steady.

"'Gen."

"He means again," Aria clarified.

"Mama!" Nathan called excitedly, hearing her voice.

"Hey big boy. Having fun?"

"Ya."

They moved onto the swings with Ian gently pushing.

"Hey buddy, do you know who's pushing you?"

Nathan shook his head.

"His name is Ian. Can you say Ian?"

He couldn't. It was too difficult a sound.

"Say Eeee."

"Eeee," Nathan repeated.

"Good. Now say an."

"An," he repeated correctly.

"Excellent! Now together. Eee-an."

"Na," he said, confused by the new sounds.

Aria tried a few times but all he could come up with was 'Na'.

"Na it will be," Ian smiled.

Ian looked over at Aria. She was leaning against the frame of the play area. Her cheeks were rosy, her hazel eyes alive, and a broad smile on her lips. Her beauty took his breath away. He loved seeing how Aria lit up when she interacted with her son.

After a while Nathan got tired of playing so they ambled over to the grassy area where Aria spread out the blanket. Ian had prepared the basket complete with sandwiches, snacks, fruits, and drinks. Aria peeled a banana, broke off a small piece and handed it to Nathan.

"Na," Nathan said happily.

"I'm assuming he's referring to the banana and not to me."

Aria laughed.

Nathan pointed to Ian and said, "Na." He then looked down at his banana and with wonder repeated. "Na."

Ian ruffled Nathan's hair, "You got it little man."

Aria and Ian ate and watched Nathan who began to pull out blades of grass one by one with his pudgy little fingers. Slowly the two of them slid nearer and nearer to each other. Aria looked up at Ian.

"Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot to me that you factored Nathan into this."

Ian brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. "I get it. You guys are a package deal."

Aria tentatively leaned her head against his shoulder. She couldn't deny that it felt good, comfortable. Ian snaked his hand around her waist, holding her softly against him. They chatted amicably. Aria told him about her job at a magazine that was becoming more and more popular; she had recently been promoted to assistant editor. She spoke about her friends, her family, about Nathan. Ian shared about himself too; about how he loved his job as an actor. They spoke about their mutual love for art and music. They jumped from topic to topic, conversation flowing easily.

Nathan yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Mama," he whined.

"Are you tired, Honey?"

He nodded.

"Come here, come sit in Mama's lap."

Nathan crawled over cuddling himself in her lap. He rubbed his eyes again. Aria brought her arms around his tiny waist and leaned his head back against her chest.

"Close your eyes, darling, okay? You can sleep in Mama's lap."

"Mmm," he snuggled deeper against her.

Ian leaned down and pecked Aria on the lips. "You are a terrific mom," he said against her lips.

Aria blushed and smiled. "Thank you," she replied her lips still against his. She could feel his smile. Aria was just deepening the kiss when she overheard the following.

"What a sweet family."

"Remember when we were like that?"

Aria and Ian looked up to see an elderly couple passing them. The couple innocently assuming they were a family. Aria blushed again. _Oh God, we look like a family._

Aria stretched, suddenly uncomfortable, jostling Nathan who had just fallen asleep. His eyes popped open.

"Shh go back to sleep," Aria urged.

Nathan tiredly rubbed his eyes and began to cry.

"Oh Honey, shh, I know, you're so tired. Go back to sleep on Mama."

He started sobbing.

"Okay, we'd better get going. He's not going to stop now."

Ian nodded and helped Aria who was hastily shoving the leftovers into the basket as Nathan's wailing intensified.

"He does this when he's overtired; he just loses control," Aria explained.

"Of course, he's a baby," Ian agreed.

Aria hated how she felt the need to defend Nathan's behavior. Ian was right; of course he was going to cry. He was a baby. She lifted him up and leaned his head against her shoulder as he continued to scream. Ian deposited the trash in the bin and together they walked back to the car. Ian helped and the two of them managed to buckle in a struggling Nathan.

They were silent again on the way back. It took a few minutes for Nathan's cries to die down as sleep overtook him. Ian pulled up into the driveway of Aria's house.

"Thanks Ian, I had a really good time."

"Me too."

"We should do this again."

"Perhaps without Nathan this time?" he asked cautiously.

Aria smiled to show she wasn't offended. "Of course. I'm sure Lucy would love to babysit."

"Excellent. So we'll be in touch then."

"Absolutely."

They both leaned in for a kiss and met somewhere in the middle. It was a bit awkward at first until Ian reached up and slowly cupped her cheek. Aria reached over and mimicked his motion, gently stroking his face. Ian slipped his tongue in and a soft moan escaped Aria's mouth. Eventually they pulled away, breathless.

"Thank you," Aria breathed.

They both exited the car; Ian went around and hoisted up the car seat, carrying it with a sleeping Nathan inside. Aria unlocked the door and Ian followed her inside.

"You could put him down here," she said indicating a corner for Ian to deposit the car seat.

Ian put it down as instructed. He longed to come into her house with her but knew not to push his luck. He waved and left. Aria pushed the door closed and leaned against it, a smile spreading across her face.

She slowly walked into her living room. Somehow it felt different, no she felt different. She was happy. She thought back, trying to remember when the last time she had been this happy. She adjusted a pillow on the sofa, the magazines on the coffee table, a frame on the mantelpiece.

And then she noticed it for the first time in months. Her piano. Her baby. Well, yeah, it had been her baby for years, long before she had Nathan. She lifted the lid, gently, reverently, and ran her fingers across the keys. Her fingers suddenly aching with need. She gingerly sat down on the bench, fingers poised. It was strange yet familiar at the same time.

She remembered the melody she had attempted the day after Jake's funeral. She remembered how the music within her had died together him. She closed her eyes and she let go. And suddenly the music was surging through her again. She let her fingers find the rhythm so intrinsically familiar to them as they danced across the keys, automatically playing her favorites.

She remembered that melody and tentatively went back to it. She remembered the dissonance, the cacophony of clashing notes. This time, though, she found the harmony, stringing the notes together. She was unaware of the tears trickling down her face until they dripped onto her fingers but that only seemed to complete the music somehow. The beginning was dark, painful but as she continued the melody lightened up, streaked with strains of hope. She sat still as the melody came to a close, letting the music wash over her. Then she grabbing the pen and notebook she always had nearby and furiously scribbled down the notes before she could lose them. The lyrics would come later she, she knew. Probably tonight when she'd be lying in bed and thinking about Ian, it would come to her.

She smiled and then laughter bubbled up within her. She had forgotten how much music meant to her, how much a part of her had been missing all this time. Now it was back, now she felt whole.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed - here is another chapter for you. This was a difficult chapter for me to write. I knew what I wanted to happen but it was hard to describe their feelings, especially Ian's because I'm not used to writing from his POV. Also the fight scene, I tried to make it realistic and I hope I succeeded. Please let me know what you think. **

Lucy checked the time on her phone and sighed irritably; it was very late on a Friday night. Aria had asked her to babysit so she could go out with Ian and Lucy had agreed. But that was before she had found out that Chris was going to be in LA for the weekend. So instead of hanging out with her boyfriend she was sitting alone in her sister's house, texting him. She had been hoping that they'd come home early and she'd be able to squeeze in some time with Chris but now it didn't look like it.

She had wanted to cancel on them but knew that it had been ages since the two of them had gone out. Both she and Ian were loaded down with work, shooting at all times of day and night. So when they finally planned to go out Lucy didn't have the heart to say no.

Lucy leaned her head back on the sofa and put her feet up on the coffee table. She smiled thinking of Aria and Ian. Lucy had watched Aria these past few months, watched how the walls Aria had built around her heart slowly crumble to dust, and watched how she had once again blossomed. She had Ian to thank for all of that now.

She glanced around taking notice of the piano and couldn't help but smile again. The floor around it was littered with little scraps of paper and multiple notebooks were strewn about near it. Only once Aria had begun to play again had she confided in Lucy about how she had felt those long lonesome months, how she felt as if music had abandoned her.

Lucy heard voices and then a giggle from the front porch.

"Finally," she muttered.

She grabbed her bag and jacket and yanked the door open. "Everything was fine; he slept the whole-" she stopped speaking abruptly.

Ian had Aria pushed up against the wall of the house with her arms locked above her head. They were heavily making out.

"Ugh, sorry, I so did not want to see that," Lucy covered her eyes.

They broke apart and stared at Lucy, neither of them able to think of something to say to dispel the awkwardness.

"Being that you are home," Lucy spoke loudly, "I will be on my way." She rushed past them and to her car.

"Thanks Luce," Aria called after her.

Lucy merely waved. Her tires squealed as she took a sharp turn out of the driveway and down the block.

"Would you like to come inside?" Aria beckoned.

Ian nodded with a smile masking his disappointment. He had been planning to utilize the moment to tell her he loved her but the moment had been ruined by Lucy. He had wanted to tell her that he loved her the past few weeks already and yet somehow could never find the right opportunity to let her know. He smiled again, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he did so. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Upstairs, now!"

He carried her upstairs, their lips never breaking apart, and into her bedroom. He dropped her onto the bed and crawled up after her. She sat up yanked at his shirt, impatient.

"Hold on a second," he cautioned as he hastily unbuttoned his shirt. "I'd like to leave the buttons on _this_ shirt if you don't mind. I might have to go shopping soon; I can't wear buttonless shirts and I have a whole closet full of them."

Aria giggled and slid the now opened shirt off his shoulders, kissing his chest. He groaned. Aria rolled over so she was on top. She continued kissing him down to his navel and began unbuckling his belt.

"Wait," he panted, "You've got to take your shirt off."

Aria lifted her head for a moment and Ian took the opportunity to wrench her shirt over her head. He rolled over, pushing her back down so that he was on top of her again. He pushed her bra up, not bothering to unclasp it.

She moaned and writhed as he traced his tongue over her nipple. "You've got to be the one in control, huh?" she gasped.

"And you have to learn how to let go Aria. Let go."

"Hmm," was all she responded, knowing that he was referring to a lot more than just sex. And because the feeling of them together caused all coherent thought to flee.

* * *

><p>Ian woke up before Aria. He smiled at the feeling of her naked flush against his. He could hear her even breathing; he could feel the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest. He had fallen completely and irrevocably in love with her. He loved the quiet stillness about her. He loved how even though on the outside, to others, she may appear simple, he knew that inside she was roiling with deep thought and emotion. He loved watching her at the piano, loved watching her passion translating into music. The expression 'still waters run deep' described her perfectly. He wanted so badly to tell her, he wanted her to know how much he loved her, how badly he wanted to take care of her.<p>

Before he had met Aria he would have never considered dating a woman with a child. But meeting Aria changed everything. Having a child didn't take away from her, if anything it added so much to her. He believed she was a better person because she was a Mom. It suited her. Not to mention that somehow he found it extremely sexy.

Ian cautiously placed an arm under his hand and stared at the ceiling, goofy smile in place. He loved the way her body curled naturally against his as if they were made to be together. He could probably lay in bed all day thinking about her. His thoughts were interrupted by a cry coming from Nathan's bedroom.

Aria sighed in her sleep and slipped a hand under her cheek. Ian gently kissed her forehead and then slipped out of bed and into a pair of jeans from last night. In the recent months he had been spending more and more time here in Aria's house. He had more than one drawer filled with his things and he was taking up considerable space in the closet but he was too lazy to find something fresh and he wanted to grab Nathan before his crying woke up Aria.

Aria awoke to an empty bed and to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked blueberry muffins. She pulled on Ian's and padded over to Nathan's bedroom only to find it empty.

She found him in his high chair in the kitchen his face splattered with muffin batter.

"Hey cutie," she kissed him on the forehead, the only clean spot on his face.

"What about me?" Ian pouted as he pulled a fresh batch of muffins out of the oven. He set them down on the top of the oven and poured Aria a cup of coffee and handed it to her.

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes raked over her. Her hair tumbled around her face and her cheeks were still flushed from sleep. And damn it, she was wearing his shirt. The shirttail fell just below her ass leaving a healthy portion of her legs exposed. She was so beautiful; he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go. _I love you_, he said in his head, eyes shining. He opened his mouth to vocalize the words but Aria put the mug down on the table and jumped into his arms and kissed him full on the lips. "Good morning cutie. It smells heavenly in here."

He smiled and kissed her back. He hoisted her up onto the counter running his hands up her thighs. His eyes rounded in surprise; she wasn't wearing any underwear. She shrugged and smiled.

"It smelled so good, I grabbed the first piece of clothing I found and ran down here."

He deepened the kiss.

"Mama."

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mama!"

His hands slipped under her shirt.

"MAMA," Nathan yelled throwing his sippie cup on the floor.

Both pulled away, sighing heavily.

"What is it, Honey?" Aria asked, her annoyance well hidden as she slid off the counter.

"Out." He held his hands out.

Aria slid the tray off and unbuckled him. "Come on baby, we gotta wash you up and get dressed. You can't be in jammies all day."

She carried him to the sink and held him over it as she rinsed his hands and face. She glanced around the kitchen and was somehow disappointed that Ian wasn't there. She carried Nathan upstairs and changed him into clean clothes. She was putting the dirty diaper in the diaper genie when Ian appeared in the doorway, dressed in fresh clothes as well.

"Lucy called before; she invited herself and Chris over for dinner. She said they'd bring something over so you don't have to worry about cooking."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Chris and I get along, it should be fine." He said carefully.

"Did you tell her-"

"That dinner will have to be after eight so that Nathan will already be asleep," he answered her question before she had a chance to ask it. "Yes, and she said it's alright."

"Great. What do you want to do today?"

Ian shrugged. "Didn't really plan on anything; hang out here? What about you?"

Aria scratched her head and made a comical face. "Take a shower; put some of my own clothes on. After that? Yeah, hanging around sounds good."

"I'll take this little fellow and you can enjoy your shower."

She flashed him a smile. She longed to ask him to join her. But who would watch Nathan? Aria bit her lip trying to keep the guilt at bay. He felt guilty all the time. Guilty that Ian woke up early and watched Nathan while she slept, guilty that she kept him cooped up in her house all day because she was taking care of her baby. She mentally shrugged her shoulders and headed off to the shower.

* * *

><p>"What time is it?" Aria asked Ian.<p>

They were cuddled on the sofa, the TV playing softly across from them. The house was clean and the table set.

"Seven thirty."

"Wow. I can never get him in bed this early. We still have a half hour until Lucy and Chris show up."

Ian laughed. "Maybe it's just really boring to listen to me reading a story."

"Maybe it's just really sexy."

_Do it! Say it now! _"Aria," he tenderly brushed an imaginary piece of hair off her face. "I love you."

Aria froze beside him. Then she slowly pulled herself away from him. "Wh-what did you say?"

He took her petite hands in his own. "I love you."

She took a deep shuddering breath. "You did not just say that."

Ian was baffled and hurt. But he pushed the hurt away. "I've been feeling this way for a while and I've been waiting for the right opportunity to tell you."

Aria stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. Ian was shocked by the tears streaming down her face. "It's not true. You can't love me."

Ian stood up as well. "Aria, why not?"

She shook her head stubbornly, like a small child. _I don't deserve your love; you should bestow it on someone else, someone more deserving, someone whole. Someone who doesn't have a child, someone whom you can shower with whenever you please, someone whose make out sessions don't get interrupted by a crying baby. Someone with whom you can build your own family, not pick up the broken shards of someone else's. _

He took a few steps closer to her. He tried to keep the anger and hurt in check. Why was she doing this? Why did she always do this? Why couldn't she be honest and real about her feelings? Why did she make him feel guilty for being honest about his feelings?

"Aria." It came out harshly.

She flinched and took a step back.

Ian took a deep breath. "Aria, talk to me, don't just stand there. Tell me what you're thinking. Tell me why it hurts you so badly to hear that I love you?"

She covered her ears. "Stop, don't say it. I can't hear it."

Ian clenched his fists his anger taking control. She looked up, frightened, by the coldness in his blue eyes.

"You're too good for me," she finally stammered.

He laughed a bitter mirthless laugh. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Is that a compliment? I'm too good? Or is that a nice way of saying I'm too much? You know what? Fine, have it your way. You like being in pain, don't you? It's more creative, isn't it? You can write more angst filled songs when you're hurting." He knew what he said was mean but right now she felt like she deserved it. She didn't have the right to bring him close only to push him away again.

Aria swiped her sleeve across her eyes, desperately trying to stem the flow of tears. She was angry, too, now. But he didn't give her the chance to explain. He grabbed his jacket and keys, yanking the door open.

He turned around one last time, his bitter voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's really thoughtful of you, you know. I open my heart to you and you just throw it back in my face. Have a lovely day."

The door slammed shut.

LINE BREAK

Lucy rang the bell to Aria's house. Chris stood behind her holding bags of takeout.

"Why isn't she answering?" Lucy pressed the bell again.

"Isn't Ian supposed to be here? I don't see his car."

"Yeah, he should be here," she frowned. She held her finger against the bell and she could hear it peal inside the house. It was followed by silence. "Let me call her."

Lucy pulled out her phone and dialed. She listened as it rang once, twice, three times. She was about to hang up when she heard Aria's hello.

"Aria! Where are you? We're at the door. Did you not hear us ringing the bell?"

"The door's not locked."

Lucy opened her mouth but was met the dial tone.

"Something's wrong," she stated as she pushed the door open.

Chris shifted uncomfortably. "I'm going to wait out here. Let me know if this dinner is still on."

Lucy found Aria curled on the sofa, an uncorked bottle of wine and wine glass on the coffee table in front of her. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and mascara. With a sigh she headed back to the door.

Chris took one look at her face and said, "I'll take this food back to my place. Will I see you tonight?" he pecked her on the cheek.

Lucy shrugged helplessly. "I'll call you."

Lucy headed back inside and snuggled against her sister but Aria shoved her away.

"Go with Chris. It's bad enough that I kept you from each other last night."

"It's fine, we spent all day together."

Aria shrugged. "Whatever."

"What happened? Where's Ian?"

"We fought. He left. Simple as that."

"So simple," Lucy snorted. "What did you guys fight about?"

Aria shoved off the sofa. "You know what Lucy? Just mind your own business, okay? I really am not interested in your sympathy right now."

Aria stomped up the stairs leaving Lucy with her mouth hanging open. She got up and left, slowly shutting and locking the front door behind her. She called Ian.

"Hey," he answered sounding just as miserable as Aria.

"Where are you? What happened?"

He was at the same bar where he had met a drunken Aria. "I'll be there in ten."

She found him sitting alone at a table hidden in a shadowy corner. There were two empty beers on the table in front of him and he held a full one in his hand. His eyes were slightly glassy. Lucy sat across from him.

"What happened?"

Any reservations he may have had were lost to the alcohol. "I told her I loved her and she freaked out. I got mad, she got mad, and I left."

"You told her you loved her?"

"Yeah, and I got an earful from her so I don't need you running me down as well."

"No. I'm really touched for her."

He took a long drag out of the bottle. "Great," he said sarcastically. "You can be as touched as you want but she aint moving."

Lucy took his hands in her own. "Give her some time; I'm sure she'll come around. I'm pretty sure she feels the same way and is terrified of those feelings."

"I know that and I think that's what got me so angry. I hate the way she denies her feelings to herself."

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but Ian held a hand up. "I know she's hurt, I know she's heartbroken over losing Jake and I get it. I know that she hides her feelings thinking that that's the way she can save herself from being hurt again. What frustrates me is that she doesn't realize that in the end she doesn't only hurt herself but those around her as well."

Lucy nodded. He was right. She was surprised when he suddenly stood up.

"Thanks Luce, for coming to find me. I feel a lot better getting that off my chest. You're right. I'll give her some time and hopefully she'll come around."

Lucy reached up on her toes and hugged him. "You're awesome. You're the best thing that has happened to Aria."

He hugged her back. "Thanks. Let's just hope it doesn't take her too long to realize that."


	8. Chapter 8

Aria tapped her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel as she waited in standstill traffic. If things didn't start moving soon she'd be late for work. Nathan's daycare wasn't that far from her work place but the 405 was notorious for its traffic. Besides for the obvious annoyance of traffic, alone, in her car she had time to think and right now she didn't want to think.

It was almost a week since Ian walked out. Lucy had yelled at her for being a coward and for hurting Ian but she couldn't deal with all that right now. She had known from the beginning it was a bad idea. No matter how miserable her life was she was better off with just her and Nathan; at least it was a lot less complicated.

"Finally," she muttered to herself as the traffic began to ease up giving her a chance to ease up on her thoughts as well.

She arrived five minutes late and her boss met her at the door.

_Great. _"Sorry I'm late – "

"Hand me your cell phone."

"What?"

"We are very behind on the upcoming issue and I need everyone's full concentration. No phone, no distraction." She rattled a box in front of Aria's face and Aria saw all her co-workers phones inside. "Everyone handed theirs in; you'll get it back at the end of the day."

Aria turned off her phone and gave it up with a sigh. It's not that she needed her phone; she usually didn't call anyone during the day anyway. It was more of a security thing; she felt lost without it. With another sigh she headed to her cubicle. She may as well get some work done.

" Crap!" Aria exclaimed as she looked at her watch. She'd be late for picking up Nathan if she didn't hurry. She grabbed her phone out of the box, not bothering to turn it on, and ran to her car.

She pulled into the daycare parking lot and hurried into the small, colorful building. She glanced around for Nathan but couldn't find him. Her heart began to pound as she approached the secretary.

"Hi, I can't find my son…" her voice trailed off. She felt like she sounded pathetic.

"Are you Mrs. Parker?"

"Yes, I prefer Aria."

The secretary stood up and beckoned her into the office.

"Where's Nathan?" her worry skyrocketed.

The secretary knocked on the inner office door, artfully sidestepping the question. "Mrs. Parker is here."

The door opened and the principal Ms. Newman stood there. At least that's what Aria thought of her as. It was only a daycare, but regardless of her official title, she was the one in charge. Aria had chosen the daycare for its professional state-of-the-art facility. The building and playground were new; the classrooms bright an airy. The teacher-studio ratio was very high. Aria had been impressed by how well it was run.

"Mrs. Parker, come take a seat."

Aria reluctantly stepped inside. "Where's Nathan?" she repeated, her mouth dry. "And call me Aria please."

Ms. Newman waited until Aria was seated before she spoke. "There was a little accident today."

"W-what?" Aria closed her eyes for a moment. _No, not again. Not an accident. Oh God, please, no. I can't handle another… accident._

"In the playground. A few of the children were waiting for their turn on the slide when Nathan lost his balance and fell off from the top of the slide. He hit his head."

Aria followed the principal's gaze out the window which had a perfect view of the playground. The slide was about three feet high. Her first reaction was denial.

"But… but aren't there regulations? Doesn't the ground have to be soft or something? Where was the teacher?"

She nodded sadly. "The ground is softer but it seems he banged his head against one of the poles of the frame. It happened so fast, the teacher didn't have a chance to catch him."

"Where is he now? Is he okay? When did this happen?"

"He's at the Mt. Sinai Hospital. I'm sure he'll be fine. It happened at about eleven this morning."

It was now after five.

We've been trying to reach you all day." There was a reprimand in her voice.

Aria pulled out her phone fighting back tears. "My phone was off. I was at work," she tried to explain.

Ms. Newman stood up. "I can assure you we will compensate you for everything. This is an unfortunate mistake and we will try our best to ensure it won't ever happen again."

Aria nodded and stood up as well. The daycare obviously didn't want her to sue them but she didn't have a head for that right now. "I've got to go."

She drove to the hospital like a maniac, her heart pounding. Her Nathan, her little baby, was hurt. It was her fault; why did she turn off her phone? Why did she hand it in? She smacked her head angrily. She hadn't even gotten enough information. Was he badly hurt? Oh, her poor baby was alone in the hospital all day.

She cursed as she tried to find parking. Why was it so difficult to find parking in a hospital? She cursed again as she was force to go up another level in the parking garage. She finally found a spot and hurried into the building and up to the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm here for Nathan Parker. He was brought in here earlier today. He's a toddler."

The receptionist gave her an evil glare. "One moment." She stood up from her seat and disappeared into the back.

"Where the hell is he?" she yelled to the retreating form. "Shit." A few tears escaped. She took a deep, shaky, breath and managed to hold the rest back.

Aria took a seat in the waiting room, one leg shaking impatiently. After what seemed like forever the receptionist returned, followed by a plump woman. She had short blonde hair that Aria suspected was a wig, a stern face, and square rimless glasses that hung around her neck.

"Mrs. Parker?"

Aria shot out of her seat. The woman extended her hand and Aria shook it reluctantly.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Muller from Child Services. You are Mrs. Parker?"

_Child Services? _"Yes. Where is my son?"

She took Aria by the elbow steering her down a long maze-like hallway. "Walk with me," she commanded.

Aria had no choice but to comply.

"Nathan is alright. He just needed stitches. It was a head wound and was bleeding profusely; it worried the teachers."

She spoke in clipped sentences, as if she was counting every word she uttered. Aria heaved a deep sigh of relief.

"Can I go see him?" she hated how small her voice sounded, how small she felt. She hated how big the hospital was, how the protocol was so unfamiliar, and how nothing was in her control.

"I'm afraid not. See when the school and the hospital couldn't reach you they had no choice but to call us. You've been neglectful."

Us. Social Services. She was a bad mother. "I was at work," her voice was shrill. "You have to believe me. Nathan is my life."

The women smiled a cold smile.

"Wait, what about the emergency contact numbers? The daycare had my Mom – "

She stopped midsentence when realization hit her.

"We tried your Mom."

"She flew out of town today. She was probably on the plane."

"And we tried the other number, your sister?"

Aria's heart sank. "My sister was shooting all day. She probably wasn't able to pick up her phone."

Mrs. Muller gave her a strange look.

"Filming, shooting scenes, she's an actress," Aria explained shortly.

Aria took a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. "Please, I need to see him, he's probably miserable. This is all a big misunderstanding. I would never willfully neglect him," she begged.

Mrs. Muller folded her arms across her ample chest. "Mrs. Parker, please see this from our point of view. A child was hurt and we are unable to get hold of any responsible adult. We need to examine this situation and ascertain that you are a fitting mother. As of now you have forfeited the right to see him."

Aria nearly collapsed right there in the hallway. She couldn't stop the tears this time. "Please, I'm a single Mom. Why – "

"You are all the same, aren't you? You think raising a kid is easy, you think you could do it all on your own, until it gets too hard. It's not fair that your child has to suffer through your mistakes. A stable home would be much healthier."

Aria flinched from the venom in her tone. She felt anger rising at the woman's assumptions, at her false accusations. Aria worked hard to keep her voice even. "My husband died just over a year ago. Believe me, being a single Mom is not my choice."

Aria detected a flicker of sympathy in the woman's eyes but in a flash it was gone. She cleared her throat and led Aria back to the waiting room.

"I will be with you shortly; there are some things I need to clarify."

"Call my boss, please. She'll tell you that I didn't have my phone on me because of her, please."

Mrs. Muller nodded with her lips in a thin line. "We'll see," was all she said.

Aria slumped in her seat, the tears still flowing freely. She tried Lucy but got her voicemail. She left a tear-choked message.

"Hey Luce, Nathan is hurt. I'm at Mt. Sinai. Please come as soon as you can."

She watched the clock; watched as the minutes slowly passed. Anger surged through her again as she imagined Nathan alone in a hospital room crying for her. She wasn't a bad mother; was she? She tried so hard; it wasn't fair. She needed to talk to someone right now before she lost her mind. Her fingers dialed Ian's familiar number, ignoring the fact that she was supposed to be mad at him, instinctively knowing that he would provide the comfort she needed.

He picked up on the first ring delighted that she was finally calling. He didn't expect to hear her voice, choked with tears.

"Aria? Are you okay?"

"No. I'm at the hospital; Nathan's hurt and they won't let me see him."

"Don't move. I'm coming right now."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: My apologies for the long wait. I hope you enjoy.**

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><p>Aria slumped in the hard plastic chair in the waiting room, her heart thumping madly. Every fiber of her being straining; desperate to see her baby, her little boy. She tapped her legs uncontrollably, anxiously.<p>

"Mrs. Parker?"

The voice was low and hesitant. Aria's eyes snapped open. A young dark haired nurse stood in front of her. Aria shot out of her seat.

"My son?" her fingers clutched at her purse.

The nurse held out a restraining hand. "I'm under strict orders not to let you see him." Her tone was apologetic.

Aria's shoulders sagged.

"But we can't get him to stop crying. So," she turned around, eyes darting around the waiting room, searching for Mrs. Muller. When she ascertained that the woman was nowhere in sight she continued, "Can you please come with me?"

"Lead the way."

They hurried through a maze of identical hallways. "We've tried everything. We changed his diaper, we tried feeding him, we even took him out of the crib and held him. Nothing worked," the nurse explained as they walked.

"He's afraid," Aria murmured. "He's in a new place that he's never been to before and I'm not there with him. It's scary."

"Of course," the nurse soothed.

The nurse stopped outside a door and looked around nervously. Aria could hear Nathan screaming from the other side. All she wanted to do was run in there, hold him and never let go. But she held herself back.

"Wait," she held out a hand as the nurse turned the handle. She paused. "I just want to let you know that I love my son dearly. I would never ever neglect him purposefully. This is just one huge misunderstanding," her voice trembled.

The nurse smiled. "I know. Now go," she said giving Aria a little shove. "He's waiting for you."

Aria didn't need to be told twice. She yanked the door open and strode in. Her heart broke a little at the sight in front of her. Nathan sat bawling in a metallic hospital crib his face red and raw from the constant flow of tears. There was an I.V. in his arm and a thick bandage on the side of his forehead. She stopped short for a moment and then ran towards him, desperately trying to hold back her tears, knowing that if she broke down it would terrify him even more. She carefully lifted him out of the crib, holding him tightly against her chest.

"Oh Baby, Sweetie, Mommy is right here. Mommy loves you so so much. I'm so sorry, Honey. Please don't cry, Sweetie, don't cry. It's okay, Mommy is never going to leave you again, okay Sweetie? Please don't cry."

Aria choked and fell silent. Slowly Nathan's sobs subsided until he was hiccoughing softly. His head was pressed against her chest and her shirt was gripped tightly in his fists. Aria cautiously took a seat in the chair near the crib as she gently stroked his head. Nathan whimpered softly, his tiny hands still clutching her shirt. His eyelids fluttered and slowly closed.

"Can he sleep?" Aria asked the nurse.

The nurse looked up slightly startled. She had purposely busied herself with other things letting Aria have her moment.

"It's fine; it's a small cut really. Nothing near a concussion. He must be exhausted; he's been crying for a long time."

Aria grimaced; the guilt gnawing at her insides. She leaned over and gently placed Nathan in the crib. He stirred for a second and then relaxed, exhaling a deep breath. Aria exhaled too, a deep shuddering breath as she slowly ran her fingers down the side of his face. The guilt was fierce, choking her, causing the tears to rise in her eyes.

She turned away and froze as her eyes connected with Ian's. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, his hair ruffled. Aria's breath caught in her throat.

"It's not your fault," he said.

Aria hesitated. She stood silently in the middle of the room staring at Ian. Then she suddenly launched herself into his arms clinging to his shirt, sobs bubbling up uncontrollably.

Ian wrapped his arms around her narrow waist pulling her impossibly closer. "It's not your fault," he repeated.

"It is. I'm a horrible mom."

"You are one of the best moms I know."

Aria lifted her head to look at him, the tears still streaming down her face. Quite unexpectedly she said, "I love you."

Ian looked down at her with an amused and grateful expression.

"I know, I know I have terrible timing and I'm a coward and I've been avoiding these feelings that I have for you because I'm so afraid so I just ignored them and I know I hurt you in the process..."

"Aria," Ian interrupted. "You're rambling. Breathe."

Aria inhaled.

"Being in a hospital, it causes a shift in perspective, you know? All the nitty gritty details of everyday life fall away and you're faced with the things that really matter. As I waited in the waiting room I kept on thinking about you, about how cowardly I was being by hiding my feelings. So I know that me telling you now is rather surprising but I didn't want to wait and then lose the nerve to tell you," Aria explained.

Ian smiled and hugged her tightly. "I love you."

Aria wrapped her arms tighter around him and he took the opportunity to go for a kiss.

"What is going on here?"

Aria and Ian jerked painfully apart. Aria tensed as Mrs. Muller stepped into the room. She noticed that the nurse, conveniently, was nowhere in sight. Ian put a protective arm around her waist.

"What are you doing here? You were explicitly told that you aren't allowed to be here."

Aria opened and closed her mouth. Anything she'd say now would sound defensive and that's not how she wanted to sound. It was amazing how much strength she derived from Ian's presence. She was not going to be a pushover.

"It's her son; she has every right to be here."

She turned to Ian with a disdainful look which was clearly meant to intimidate. "And who might you be?"

He slipped his hand into Aria's. "I'm her boyfriend."

Mrs. Muller harrumphed. "I will need both of you to leave until this matter is settled."

Ian looked at her in disbelief; Aria hadn't had the chance to explain the situation. "What needs to be settled? When the doctor gives the okay we are going to take him home."

"Oh, we are going to take him home, are we now? Where were you six hours ago when he was brought in to emergency? You think you can be irresponsible and then come in here when you please and do what you please? I'm sorry it doesn't work like that. Now you do not have permission to be here. It's time to go."

Ian stared at her with his eyebrows raised and his mouth hanging open, the look of disbelief only intensifying on his face. Suddenly Nathan's head popped up; the palpable tension having woken him. He sat up and put his hands out.

"Mama," he requested.

Automatically Aria turned towards him.

"No. Go. Out. Now." Mrs. Muller commanded.

Aria was torn but under Mrs. Muller's glare she began making her way out of the room.

"She's from social services. We shouldn't play around with her. Hopefully we'll be able to clear things up soon," she explained as she tugged a reluctant Ian along.

However, as soon as Aria began walking away Nathan began screaming hysterically. Aria stopped.

"Mama! Mama!" Nathan wailed.

She hurried back to her son and scooped him out of the crib. Once again he gripped her shirt tightly until his cries quieted.

"It's okay, Baby, I'm not going anywhere. Mama isn't going to leave without you."

Mrs. Muller harrumphed again. Aria turned to face her anger suddenly flooding through her, causing the color to rise in her cheeks.

"That's right; I'm not going anywhere. Don't his actions speak for themselves? I was going to listen to; you saw that. I didn't want to create conflict. But look at him. Look how tightly he's holding onto me. This incident has been an unfortunate accident, not neglect. Neglect would be me walking out of here because _you _said so when obviously all he wants is me. It's bad enough that you've kept me away for so long. I'm not staying away any longer. He is my son. I love him and he loves me. We stay together."

Mrs. Muller nodded unable to deny what was right in front of her eyes. "Alright. We will schedule a follow up home visit to ensure your continuous proper care of the child."

"With pleasure."

"We will be in touch," she nodded once more, scribbled something down on her clipboard, and exited the room.

Not too long after the doctor arrived. He gave Aria instruction on how and when to change the bandage and then informed them that they were free to go. Nathan wouldn't let go of Aria so Ian grabbed Aria's bag for her. Hand in hand they strode down the hospital corridor.

"Thank you for coming; I was freaking out without you here."

"Anything for you. Next time I'm not going to let you go so easily."

Aria laughed, a soft, tinkling sound. "There won't be a next time."

He lightly squeezed her hand. "You sure?" he teased.

Aria nodded seriously. "We will be together forever."

Ian nodded as well. "Together forever," he repeated.

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><p><strong>Another AN:**

**This might be a little long so I didn't want to put it in the beginning.**

**So this is the last chapter. Sorry it took so long to get it up and that it's a little short. I know it's a little lame that I'm finally uploading only to leave you with the last chapter.**

**I decided to end it here. It's the kind of story that could go on and on. I could write about an engagement, marriage, and another birth but I feel like there are so many stories like that on this site that another one isn't needed.**

**As for another story, a while ago Alexus B said that she couldn't finish a story that she started. (It's called: Mr. Fitz, A Way Out?) I offered to continue it but before I had a chance to post it someone else posted their version of the story. It's called Struggle upon Struggle. Anyway mine is quite different so if you would like to see what I have written let me know. I can't promise but I'll try to update more regularly, that's if you want to see it. Let me know.**

**For all those of you who have left reviews and subscribed to my stories, thank you so much. Writing means a lot to me and to have positive feedback, I literally cannot say how helpful and motivating it is.**


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